| Portrait of a Runner: Rintaro Kawai and the Lighting Our Way Banquet
| | Dear readers of the What's New, | I spend nearly as much time with PBA senior Rintaro Kawai as I do my wife. Last Saturday, I took PBA’s cross country team to Kamehameha Schools Kapålama for the ILH cross country championships. It was an afternoon race and very hot. My squad this year was very small – two young men and two young women, but one of the young women had sustained a knee injury and was not able to run. One of those runners was Rintaro. He came out fast in the first mile, faded in the heat and uphill climb of the second, then resumed his | 
| | first mile pace for the final 1.1 miles of the 5K race and finished with a personal course record. I can tell you, for the ILH, Rintaro is not one of the fastest runners, but like I mentioned, it was Rintaro’s personal best on that course, and that’s what matters to me most as a coach. It just so happens that Rintaro is also a participant on PBA’s speech and debate team that I also coach. Twice weekly I work with Rintaro and the other Dragons honing our public speaking craft. Rintaro likes to compete in the Impromptu Speaking speech event, but he has also competed in Lincoln-Douglas debating, and even dabbled with 2023 alumnus Evan Yasutake in Public Forum debate. | | | In Speech and Debate also, Rintaro is not what I would call a natural. English is Rintaro’s second language, and on top of that, an organic intellectual, Rintaro has an associative imagination seeking the obscure. So while most of us would receive a speaking prompt like “wind” (a word my impromptu speaking app just recommended) and discuss three ways wind powers the world, Rintaro might start off with how the winds of change spark revolutions and end by sharing how 1980s Soviet punk erupted in protest to the regime then and how he’s been listening to Alisa in SoundCloud lately. | | Somehow, whereas I could listen to Rintaro endlessly, most often the speech judges gravitate toward the conventional 5-paragraph proof. (Not to criticize conventions, impromptu speaking challenges all critical thinkers and form mastery is an important skill I try to teach!) So when I reviewed Rintaro’s proposed introduction script for 2023 Lighting Our Way honoree and East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum, I noted with humor that Rintaro marveled over the water bottles the staff there offered us when we arrived to interview Ms. Lum, and the nice pastries shop that is set up on the lanai out front of the EWC facility. Though of course the student scripts go through multiple editing phases, I couldn’t resist leaving those details in. And when Rintaro delivered his introduction with his deadpan delivery and sometimes halting timing – well, to me it seemed the audience ate it up. Ms. Vares-Lum certainly did. She thanked Rintaro for noting the presence of high-quality water at the EWC, thanked also senior Mari Miyasato for performing “Chibariyo,” the Okinawan tribute dance performed in Ms. Vares-Lum’s honor. And like the great leader she is, Ms. Vares-Lum pivoted in her acceptance speech and talked about how important it is for schools like Pacific Buddhist Academy to do the hard work of teaching students to be peacebuilders in a world that faces the challenges ours does today. When Rintaro graduates, just as he’s finished his high school cross country running career, he will leave PBA for new experiences and apply his learning to what we hope and trust will be important work. But I feel gratified knowing he will also leave with grand memories like those he made in front of the Lighting Our Way audience of hundreds, when he stepped to the microphone and admired the water at the East-West Center, and the bagels on offer out front, and the EWC’s mission “to create better relations between nations.” | | Warmly,
Josh Hernandez Morse
Head of School | | PBA Seniors Build a Strong Relationship with Lighting Our Way Honorees
| | This year’s senior class is known on campus as an exceptionally charismatic group of students. For many reasons, this is a positive thing. They are outgoing, personable, funny, and confident. In some instances, walking around with a group of teenagers known for speaking their minds can make the teachers at PBA just a little nervous – especially in preparation to interview esteemed honorees for the Lighting Our Way banquet.
“I sometimes get a small sense of nervousness going into the honoree interviews,” said Director of Advancement | 
| Megan Lee. “I’m confident in the student’s abilities, but I can sometimes feel how excited they are from across the table. They’re still finding their way in the professional world they’re about to step into after graduation and you want them to make the best impression possible on these community leaders.” The students were personable and did a great job of connecting with the honorees. “Meeting John Leong was a valuable experience for me,” said senior Lycan DeVol. “I hadn’t heard of Kupu before, but they do some amazing things for the youth of Hawai`i.” Mone Sugimoto spoke on being nervous saying, “Rev. and Ms. Matsumoto are very nice. We knew them from last year when their son Caden was a PBA student, but I was still reviewing my questions on the bus ride to Aiea Hongwanji. Thankfully, the interview went well, and I learned to get over a few of my fears that day.” | | 
| Participation for the seniors doesn’t end there. They are either asked to perform for or present an award to an honoree. Every student plays a role in the program. Senior Jenny Chang interviewed Alicia Moy and took part in the tribute taiko performance of “Senri No Michi” for the Matsumotos. "It was such an honor to be able to meet Alicia Moy and learn about her experience growing up,” said Jenny Chang. “She has inspired me to push through and work hard for what I desire. I was also honored to perform in honor of the Matsumotos. I’m glad I could give back in some way after all they do for our school community.” | | Mari Miyasato also took part in the taiko performance in addition to a solo Okinawan dance called “Chibariyo” to honor Suzanne Vares-Lum. “Chibariyo” was written by the late Choichi Terukina of the Ryukyu Koten Ongaku Afuso Ryo Choichi Kai and the dance was choreographed by the late Lynne Yoshiko Nakasone. “Chibariyo,” meaning “go for it,” encourages hard work and devotion to one's efforts. “Suzanne Vares-Lum has inspired me and many others to strive for our goals and persevere through difficult times. I was honored to dance ‘Chibariyo’ for her because of all that she has accomplished,” said Mari. | 
| Post-event, students write thank you letters to honorees for their time and community contributions. We look forward to furthering our relationship with the 2023 Lighting Our Way honorees in efforts to nurture peace. | Riding the Wave: Conquering the Fear of Surfing the Pipeline
| | In the heart of Hawaii's North Shore, where legendary waves and fearless surfers collide, one determined PBA student, Liam Anitpala, set out on a journey to accomplish the seemingly impossible—conquering the infamous Pipeline wave. Known as one of the most dangerous and challenging breaks in the world, the Banzai Pipeline attracts thrill-seekers and professional surfers from across the globe. But for our courageous student, this wasn't just about chasing a thrill; it was a personal mission to conquer a dream. His teacher, Loren Otake, noted, "Liam set the goal of paddling out at proper Pipeline early last year and he worked his way up and did it recently. He is excited for this winter and hoped to compete in various contests." Congratulations, Liam, for reaching your goal! Your determination and achievements inspire us all. Keep riding those waves of success! | | 
Photography captured by Clyde Kakiuchi
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